Australia defeat Pakistan in thrilling 1st ODI: Report and stats
In a nail-biting ODI series opener, Australia defeated Pakistan by a whisker of two wickets. The match was played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). With this win, the Australian team has taken the lead in the three-match series. Captain Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc were the star performers for Australia, who chased down 204 in just 33.3 overs.
Cummins and Starc's all-round performance
Cummins displayed his all-round skills by taking two wickets and scoring an unbeaten 32 runs, which turned out to be crucial in Australia's victory. Starc also made a big impact with the ball, taking three wickets. Despite a shaky start in their chase of 204 runs, Australia managed to stay in the game, thanks to the efforts of these two players.
Australia's shaky start and recovery
Australia's chase of 204 runs started on a shaky note with the early wickets of Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk. However, Steve Smith and wicket-keeper Josh Inglis brought their team back on track with an 85-run partnership. Smith scored 44 runs before being dismissed by Haris Rauf, while Inglis scored 49 runs before falling prey to Afridi.
Pakistan's fightback and Australia's response
After the dismissals of Smith and Inglis, Pakistan appeared to be back in the game. Rauf's successful spell continued as he dismissed Labuschagne for 16 runs, while Mohammed Hasnain took out Aaron Hardie. But Cummins and all-rounder Sean Abbott stitched a crucial 30-run partnership for the eighth wicket, taking Australia closer to victory. Despite a run-out mishap that cost Abbott his wicket, Cummins and Starc took their team past the finish line without any further setbacks.
Pakistan's batting struggles and late surge
Earlier in the match, Pakistan's openers Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub fell cheaply, leaving Babar Azam and captain Mohammad Rizwan to rebuild the innings. The duo added 39 runs for the third wicket before Azam fell to Adam Zampa for 37 runs. Rizwan scored a steady 44 off 71 balls but fell to Marnus Labuschagne. Late cameos from Shaheen Shah Afridi (24 off 19) and Naseem Shah (40 off 39) took Pakistan to 203 runs.
Starc completes 100 ODI wickets in Australia
Starc, who ended with impressive figures of 3/33 in 10 overs, became the sixth bowler from his country to take 100 wickets in ODIs at home. Playing his 54th game at home, Starc has raced to 102 scalps at 21.10. The pacer overall owns 244 ODI wickets at 23.29 (5W: 9). Against Pakistan, he has 27 wickets across 12 matches at 19. Meanwhile, Cummins (2/39) and Zampa (2/64) dismissed two batters apiece.
Rauf and Shaheen shine for Pakistan
Though Rauf leaked 67 runs in his nine-over spell, the pacer took three wickets to keep his side in the hunt. His teammate Shaheen also dismissed two batters, conceding 43 runs in his quota of 10 overs. Hasnain and Naseem took one wicket apiece.
